March 1, 2017 The Honorable John Bel Edwards Governor, State of Louisiana P.O. Box 94004 Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004 Dear Governor Edwards: I am pleased to submit to you the enclosed Annual Report from the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana dated March 1, 2017. Submission of this report is a requirement of Act No. 679 and sums up “actions taken and progress made toward achieving the purposes and duties established for the council.” Respectfully, William Arceneaux, Ph.D. President Cc: President John A. Alario, Jr. Speaker Taylor Barras Senator Dan “Blade” Moorish Representative Nancy Landry ANNUAL REPORT COUNCIL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FRENCH IN LOUISIANA (CODOFIL) March 1, 2017 Governance Board All twenty-three seats on CODOFIL’s board are filled. The most recent board meeting was held December 10, 2016. Budget CODOFIL’s Existing Operating Budget for FY16 was $609,286 ((maximum budget authority for collecting/spending funds) - not actual funding. Staff The CODOFIL staff is currently comprised of 5 people: a full-time executive director, a full-time communications director, a full-time education program consultant, a full-time cultural program coordinator, and a full-time administrative coordinator. This staffing level is adequate to address the agency’s mandates but may be in need of extra human resources to better fulfill CODOFIL’s mandates. Office relocation CODOFIL continues to rent temporary office space at Lafayette City-Parish government’s International Center. Renovation is underway at the former headquarters of CODOFIL at 217 West Main Street in Lafayette. Projected return to the old office is early 2018. Legislative mandates French Language Service Program/FrancoResponsable A CODOFIL FrancoResponsable Committee was established to assist CODOFIL staff in executing the FrancoResponsable mandate. A “Prix French-Friendly” was established with Iberia Parish receiving the first award. Criteria for the award are: 1. Presence of a French Immersion program in the parish school system. (Workforce incubation.) 2. Number of French-speaking employees at parish tourism office (full-time, part-time, and volunteers). 3. Amount of French language information on tourism office’s web site. 4. Number of “French-friendly” establishments (products and services) in the parish. This award is intended to encourage CVBs to aid in the collection of data on Francophone products and services in their parishes. Education French Immersion CODOFIL continues to concentrate on growing French immersion programs for the benefit of all Louisiana stakeholders. Work is still in progress with regard to LDOE and CODOFIL’s vision to significantly expand French immersion throughout the state with a robust, uniform structure and with focus on career pathways. For the 2016-17 school year, French immersion program totals were: School districts: 10 Type 1 Charter: 1 Type 2 Charter: 3 Type 3 Charter: 1 Private School: 1 Schools (public/nonpublic): 30 Students: 4,500 CODOFIL assisted Pointe Coupee Parish establish a new immersion school for 2016. CODOFIL continues to promote the advantages of immersion to local education leaders. CODOFIL worked with LDOE in assisting school districts in meeting criteria to become “Certified Foreign Language Immersion Program” (as per RS 17:273.2). CODOFIL began collaboration with LDOE for creating career paths in French for Louisiana students. Themes being explored are tourism, media production, and emergency preparedness/disaster prevention. French as a Second Language There were 102 Louisiana public schools in 12 parishes with a French as a Second Language program with a total of 15,987 students. Parents CODOFIL organized the Louisiana Parents for French Immersion group (LPFI), which represents French immersion communities throughout the state in an effort to build alliances and share with all of Louisiana’s French immersion communities. Teachers CODOFIL continues to recruit highly qualified teachers for Louisiana’s French immersion and French as a second language programs. This was done through continued cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) and our international partners (specifically, France and Belgium). Through the U.S. Department of State, CODOFIL sponsored 139 foreign associate teachers of French on J-1 visas to teach in French immersion and French as a second language, and administered 55 French teachers on the H-1B visa. In addition, CODOFIL processes and administers 58 Spanish teachers on J-1 visas. Foreign Associate Teachers are in more than 30 school systems throughout the state reaching more than 5,597 Louisiana students in immersion and approximately 15,987 students in Second Language Education. Cognizant of the needs per CODOFIL’s goals of expanding French immersion, the agency continues to actively recruit French teachers in Canada. Special attention is given to retired French immersion teachers. CODOFIL and the LDOE organized and held the annual 3-day orientation for new French Associate Teachers in Baton Rouge. Career pathways/readiness CODOFIL continues to build career pathways leveraging French for the military with the inclusion of French language components that could be leveraged for deployment to the Caribbean and/or Africa. The planned establishment of a Creole Language Learning Center is moving closer to becoming a reality and will become the centerpiece of an articulated program where bilingual students may be steered to careers in the military, humanitarian aid, etc. CODOFIL increased collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) by exploring together ways to “jump start” career pathways by leveraging French in Louisiana. A dialogue was started with the Louisiana State Counselors Association to explore ways to promote post-secondary career pathways for students in immersion programs. Central to this initiative is engaging the high school guidance counselors and providing them with assistance in guiding students toward careers where French language skills are an advantage. Visitations CODOFIL education and scholarship staff specialists continue to regularly visit schools (K through post-secondary) throughout the state thus fulfilling the agency’s obligations with regard to teacher follow-up, immersion expansion and certification, scholarship promotion, and Escadrille candidate recruiting. Professional development CODOFIL continues to coordinate with LDOE in planning and carrying out professional development for Louisiana’s French teachers and administrators of French language programs. Partners The CODOFIL Consortium of Colleges and Universities continues to meet every spring and fall. This alliance of higher education institutions becomes more important with CODOFIL’s focus on developing Louisiana “homegrown” teachers of French (especially in immersion) and our focus on building French school-to-work platforms where the different schools and departments of the universities could create French language components to their programs, thus enabling French immersion alumni to increase professional opportunities with their French language skills. Dr. Dolliann Hurtig is the new Consortium president. CODOFIL continues to participate in the important conversations and activities of the Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (LFLTA). CODOFIL partners with the French Embassy’s Cultural Affairs department and the Louisiana Consortium of Immersion Schools (LCIS) where all Louisiana students of French are now able to take the DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française) as coordinated by the LCIS. A total of 333 Louisiana students took the DELF exam in 2016. The “DELF Prim and DELF Junior for Schools” are official certifications of language competency as determined by the French Ministry of Education. DELF testing allows for greater uniformity in our French Immersion programs and adds value to the state certification process for immersion programs. Also, students who achieve the B2 level of proficiency (the great majority of French immersion students do) are exempted from the language test on entry to any French university as well as for the business world. International Relations In October of 2016, CODOFIL, with the support of the Consulate General of France in Louisiana, facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the State of Louisiana and the French Overseas Departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe for developing and organizing partnership actions in the field of educational cooperation between institutions, educators and students of Louisiana and the French Antilles. The agreement was signed by the rectors of the Academies of Martinique and Guadeloupe, the Lieutenant-Governor of Louisiana, the Consul General of France, the Assistant-Superintendent of Education of Louisiana, the president of CODOFIL, and the president of the CODOFIL Consortium of Colleges and Universities. In December of 2016, CODOFIL, with the support of the Consulate General of France in Louisiana, facilitated the renewal of the France-Louisiana Cooperation Accords 2016-2020. The Republic of France and the State of Louisiana have always maintained a direct relationship through the Consulate General (oldest French Consulate in the U.S.) since Louisiana became part of the United States of America in 1803. From the first France-Louisiana Cooperation Accords in 1969, the earliest teachers sent by France were French military personnel. Shortly after, Louisiana began welcoming professional educators from France. Today Louisiana classrooms benefit from the